R/E vs R/E/A for beginner

[Simon Cunliffe]

Peter

 

You are right about the charger, it does have a female socket... I think I've had too much Christmas spirit!! From talking to Alan at SAS I think the only thing I need now are some longer horns for the servo.

 

Simon

 

[Peewhit]

Hi Simon and I am glad that you now have the switch leads sorted.

 

You need to set the elevon linkage so that the maximum throw you get is that recommended for the ailerons.

 

Your transmitter should be capable of increasing the servo movement by up to 150%, so you might not need any longer servo horns.

 

From my failing memory, and using similar Futaba servos, I think that I used the standard horns

Edited By Peewhit on 27/12/2010 22:53:12

[Simon Cunliffe]

Hi Peter

 

I spoke to Alan at SAS yesterday and he suggestes that the standard horns may be to short also the DX6i can only increase the servo movement by 125%

I'm nearly at the point of installing the servos.... having read quite a bit on certain threads/posts and watched several videos I'm totally confused (it doesn't take much really!).

So with my wing pointing forwards, away from me and is underside up (I hope this is making sense) I have my two servos (left and right as I look at them). Where about in my receiver should I plug them in? And does it matter which servo (i.e. left or right (as I look at them))

On the receiver (AR500) I have the following connectors:
AILE
GEAR
RUDD
ELEV
AILE
THRO
BATT/BIND

 

I have also seen 2 descriptions of setting up elevon throw (which seem different to me):

 

Elevon setup 1

Elevon setup 2

 

Sorry for all the mithering!!

 

Simon

 

[Peewhit]

Hi Simon,

 

I am not familiar with the DX6 - am used to DX7 and DSX9

 

Your elevon setup 2 link is just what you want.

 

Set the wing tail mix to elevon and the transmitter instruction manual should tell you which receiver channels to plug the servos into.

I suspect that one will go into aileron and one into elevator.

It does not matter if you get them the wrong way round as you can reverse the servo directions with the transmitter.

 

To increase throws the video demonstration uses a programmable mix.

The elevator throw is less than the aileron, so concentrate on getting the aileron throw rcorrect and we can reduce the elevator throw later if we need to.

 

Go into either mix 1 or 2 and mix aileron to aileron (yes - aileron to itself) with the settings at 125%, 125% and see what your aileron throw is then. If it is still not enough then you do need either longer servo arms  or use a hole on the control surface horns which is nearer in to the control surface.

When setting up the mix don,t forget to set the trim to active.

[Simon Cunliffe]

uhmm... it's starting to get complicated : )

 

This may seem a daft question but am I right in assuming that I'll just be using one conrol stick on the transmitter?

[Peewhit]

For this model yes.

 

I take it that  your transmitter is mode 1 with the non self centering throttle stick on the left.

 

In which case the right stick will control both ailerons and elevator.

 

Move it left to turn left - left aileron moves up and right aileron moves down - vice versa when you move it to the right.

 

Pull it back towards you for up  and both ailerons (now elevators) move up.

Push it away from you for down and both elevators move down.

[Simon Cunliffe]

Well I set it up as per the video which gave me some of what I need however....

 

When I move the stick to the left the elevators move up and the stick to the right they move down.

 

When I push the stick forwards the left aileron goes down and the right up and the opposite way round when I pull the stick back.

 

I wrongly assumed that if I swap the servo connectors around in the receiver i.e. aileron to elevator and elevator to aileron. Nothing seems to change.... any suggestions to what have I done wrong?

 

I feel like I'm getting there though.

 

 

[Peewhit]

Well done Simon.

 

It's not that complicated really.

 

When you have set up about six models, it does start to get easier.

 

All you have to do to get it right is to reverse one servo using the transmitter, and I would suggest that it is the right one.

 

See which channel it's plugged in to (either aileron or elevator) and reverse that servo.

[Simon Cunliffe]

Cheers Peter, I'll try that tomorrow as I've just put it all away, the wife and daughter were getting a bit fed up with bits everywhere, bleeps from the transmitter and whirling of the servo's!

 

I would have been stumped without your help (again).

 

Thanks

 

Simon

 

 

[Peewhit]

Hey Simon,

 

What else are fellow fliers for?

 

I remember starting off just like you are about four years ago when I semi-retired.

 

Now I throw six servo mouldies off the top of a big hill!

 

Cheers,

 

Peter.

[Simon Cunliffe]

Peter, what you suggested seems to have sorted it out

 

Alan suggests in his instruction booklet that the elevons should give the following movement:-

 

Aileron   1"

Elevator 1/2"

 

For the elevator I have had to reduce the servo movement to 5% to get this and for the aileron 45%. Is this because of the longer horns? Is it a problem?

 

Just to confirm left and right movement, when I look from behind WT in the direction of travel, if I use left movement on the stick the left aileron goes up and the right down.

[Peewhit]

Simon,

 

Glad that you are getting there.

 

Yes, the aileron movement is correct as left stick will bank and turn the plane to the left - just think about it.

 

You will not get good elevator definition using only 5% of servo movement.

 

Try and adjust the horn length etc so that you are using 100% servo movement to give the 1" aileron deflection and then reduce the elevator throw to give the 1/2" deflection.

 

This is the hardest part of the build and a little time spent getting it right will par big dividends when flying.

 

I'm now off back to building that Blaster 2 DLG

 

Peter

[Simon Cunliffe]

Hi Peter 

 

I seem to have gone backwards rather than forwards today!

 

I have tried the servo with a shorter horn and I now seem to have uneven aileron control i.e. left goes up and very little down movement on the right, vice versa!

 

I've realised I might have been making adjustments in the wrong area. Should it be in the 'MIX1' & 'MIX 2' areas which gives a +&- %(0-125) for both aileron and elevator or should it be in the travel adjustment (0-125%)? Or more worryingly both!!

 

Also the servo horn interferes with the wing when say at full elevator travel when the stick is fully back, causing the servo to be levered out of position. Should correct adjustment stop this?

 

Simon 

 

Edited By Simon Cunliffe 1 on 29/12/2010 18:17:43

[Peewhit]

Hi Simon,

 

The point of that video was to demonstrate  that the mix1 & mix2 set up is far more powerful than adjusting the servo travel.

 

So, leave the servo travel at 100% and make your adjustments in mix1 & mix2 only.

 

When you have the throws set correctly - ailerons 1" and elevator 1/2" - recheck the clearance  of the servo horn with the wing.

 

You can always carve a small piece out of the wing to rectify this

 

Day job looming for tomorrow, but then not again until Tuesday

[Simon Cunliffe]

Well, I joined the Rivington Soaring Association and BMFA and today had my first flying experience... and loved every second of it.

 

Thanks goes to Phil Smilie (of RSA) for helping me set up and also helping me via a buddy box.

 

I must say that my Wild Thing 60 seems excellent and I also appreciate the advice and help I've received on this forum.

 

Simon

 

 

[Simon Cunliffe]

Well, I joined the Rivington Soaring Association and BMFA and today had my first flying experience... and loved every second of it.

 

Thanks goes to Phil Smilie (of RSA) for helping me set up and also helping me via a buddy box.

 

I must say that my Wild Thing 60 seems excellent and I also appreciate the advice and help I've received on this forum.

 

Simon

 

 

[Simon Cunliffe]

Well, I joined the Rivington Soaring Association and BMFA and today had my first flying experience... and loved every second of it.

 

Thanks goes to Phil Smilie (of RSA) for helping me set up and also helping me via a buddy box.

 

I must say that my Wild Thing 60 seems excellent and I also appreciate the advice and help I've received on this forum.

 

Simon

 

Oooopss double post! Sorry. 

 

 

Edited By Simon Cunliffe 1 on 06/03/2011 17:26:53

[Peewhit]

Well done Simon and I am glad that you enjoyed it.

 

Cant wait to go to the slope again? - beware, the addiction will soon set in if it already hasn't done so

So what model next then?

 

[Simon Cunliffe]

Yep... can't wait!

 

For my next model I'm considering a Middle Phase Primary or a Gentle Lady (so I can also have a go at building), what do you think about these planes?

 

Why I'm keen to learn is there any reading material I should be looking at?

[Simon Cunliffe]

Yep... can't wait!

 

For my next model I'm considering a Middle Phase Primary or a Gentle Lady (so I can also have a go at building), what do you think about these planes?

 

Why I'm keen to learn is there any reading material I should be looking at?

[Peewhit]

Hi Simon,

 

So you fancy one of these then?

 

 

I learned to fly, four years ago, on a Middlephase and initially spent much more time fixing than flying.

 

Definitely a "build" using proper wood.

Having "assembled" three mouldies, I missed the building element and am now constructing a Phase 6.

 

By the time you have built a Middlephase you will be quite familiar with the Wild Thing which has a flat wing and aileron control.

 

The Middlephase would be a great second model and if I were in your position, I would go for the aileron version and build the wing flat with no dihedral.

 

Also, I would put individual aileron servos in the wing and glass the inside of the fus from the back of the wing to the nose as this is a weak point.

 

The Middlephase is a great model and will fly in anything from 12mph to 40mph without any ballast.

 

It is also aerobatic and will perform most moves in the book.

 

Talking of books, the best one I have found is "Radio Control Slope Soaring" by Dave Hughes and published by RM Books Ltd in 1983.

 

Yes, it is a bit dated, yet the principles still hold very true and particularly for a traditional wood build such as the Middlephase

[Simon Cunliffe]

It was one of the lads at the club that suggested the Middle Phase but were suggesting the primary rather than advanced. I wondered whether or not it was better to go for the advanced as to me if I went for the primary i.e. 2 channel I was virtually learning a different way of flying.

 

Phil, the lad in question has a MP advance and his mate has both wings for the primary and advanced so they are going to buddy box them for me... : )

 

Simon

 

By the way I bought that book for 1p off amazon (plus P&P)!

[Peewhit]

1p for the book?

Mine cost £4 so you have an absolute bargain.

 

Glad that you are able to try both versions of the MP.

 

Once you are used to aileron control with the Wild Thing, reverting to a rudder / elevator model would be a big step backwards as the control that you have over the model is much more limited, particularly for landing which is always the danger "crunch or not" time.

 

The advanced version with separate aileron servos will give you the facility for spoilerons (both ailerons up) which slows the model and gives a steeper glide path for landing.

 

Try both versions and see how the degree of control varies